Ex-Taliban commander funded Bhutto killing: police

Xinhua Rawalpindi, Feb 17 (Xinhua) Former Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsood had funded five extremists to kill former Pakistan prime minister Benazir Bhutto, Additional Inspector General of Punjab Province Chudhary Abdul Majeed said Sunday. Addressing a press conference here, Majeed said three terrorists had been arrested for the assassination while one was still at large.

The arrestees admitted that the suicide bomber, Saeed Allies Bilal, who blasted himself off during Bhutto’s party rally, was among their terror group of five people. They told the police that another terrorist Ikramullah remained at large.

Investigators found out that the former Taliban commander gave Rs.400,000 ($6,450) to Qari Ismail who trained the attackers.

The group also confessed that they had previously attempted without success to kill Bhutto in the southern city of Karachi.

The former opposition leader was killed in a party rally in the Liaquat Bagh park of Rawalpindi Dec 27. The murder led to a six-week postponement of the country’s legislative elections. Xinhua